A Mini-Festo for Earth Day – Rebuild the Foodshed

Minifesto_bannersnack-Max-Quality

For the days leading up to Earth Day in years past, author Philip Ackerman-Leist runs a Twitter MiniFesto campaign – each day sending out a new tweet designed to spark conversation and pass along some lessons he learned whilst working on his book, Rebuilding the Foodshed.

You might also know Philip as the author of his memoir Up Tunket Road or as Director of the Green Mountain College Farm & Food Project and the Director of the Masters in Sustainable Food Systems at Green Mountain College. Or, from his carbon offset approach to commuting to work.

We know that Philip spends some of his time answering tweets and questions from his PastureFone (a mobile phone that doubles as a cattle herding device we think), and we all know that some of our best thinking can come when we’re away from devices, and getting dirty, or frustrated, with our daily chores.

So on this Earth Day we’re offering up the full Minifesto of Ackerman-Leist below, and a link to a downloadable and printable file that you should feel free to print and download, and then put up in the nearest outhouse wall, bathroom stall, or other popular, quiet reading places.

Your Revolutionary Minifesto Friends at Chelsea Green Publishing


Minifesto: Tweets for Rebuilding the Foodshed

  1. Start from the grassroots—and move all the way down to the highest levels of government.
  2. Sustainable farms are run by the sun: the rest of the food system needs daylight, too.
  3. When thinking about farms: management first & scale second. You figure out where location fits. (Hint: about 1.5)
  4. Fully understanding the expanse between farm to plate demands the full distance between one’s ears.
  5. Local was never intended to be universal.
  6. Small successes are easier to manage than big failures.
  7. Success leads; policy follows.
  8. Crow tastes like chicken: Be prepared to eat some.
  9. Main ingredient in a recipe for disaster: sticking to the recipe when you don’t have all of the ingredients.
  10. Two ingredients not needed in a recipe for success: us and them.
  11. Leave the selfie at the door. Shift to panorama mode.
  12. All white ain’t alright.
  13. PC quickly becomes passé: Do what’s right, not necessarily what is correct.
  14. Get off the can (BPA, dude!) and out of the box!
  15. Change comes more from victual sharing than virtual sharing.
  16. Food is neither left nor right of center, but in our politics we are left with the right to food question.
  17. Food system as economic driver: A job doth not a fair wage make.
  18. The divide is less urban/rural than it is have/have not.
  19. Trust the windshield view more than the dashboard indicators.
  20. Don’t just move the needle. Bend it a little bit. When all else fails, consider a new dial.
  21. Nuance provides precision–and it’s too often the victim of well-intentioned advocacy.
  22. Numbers & values: sometimes the same thing, sometimes in opposition.
  23. Behind every label lies a story… some are fairy tales.
  24. Fields of expertise: Farmers & fishers need to be at the table, too—not just profs, chefs, wonks, & good intentions.
  25. Finitude sucks. Prioritization rules.
  26. Don’t forget to dig! (We might even require ag in school if it weren’t so complex.)
  27. Old dirt, same story: New horizons in soils help cultivate common ground, common sense, & uncommon potential.
  28. Food system waste is nothing more than a lack of ecological imagination.
  29. Tomorrow is only 1/3 of the answer.
  30. Impatience is your most important ally; patience is your best friend.

To follow Philip on Twitter go to @ackermanleistp


Recommended Reads

Letting Go of Fear and Embracing Hope

Planning a Community Food Forest

Read The Book

Rebuilding the Foodshed

How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems

$16.22

Recent Articles

soil health

5 Principles of Soil Health

Wondering how to make your soil (and plants) thrive? Use these principles of soil health to properly prepare your farm or garden to grow. The following excerpt is from Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown. It has been adapted for the web. (Photography curtesy of Gabe Brown.) Prefer audio? Listen to the excerpt below from the…

Read More
maple roasted nuts

Maple Roasted Nuts: A Sweet, Seasonal Treat

Craving something sweet? These delicious maple roasted nuts are the perfect treat to help you push through those end-of-winter blues. The following is an excerpt from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice. It has been adapted for the web. The Magic of Maple: A Rich History Following the Hunger Moon, just before the first thaw…

Read More
grey wolves

Grey Wolves: The Howling Gods

Grey wolves are complicated, beautiful animals that are now absent in many parts of the world. Where did these creatures come from, and how did they get to where they are today? The following is an excerpt from Hunt for the Shadow Wolf by Derek Gow. It has been adapted for the web. Grey Wolves:…

Read More
salsa

Mushrooms & Wild Herbs Salsa: A Refreshing Spring Recipe

Spring into the season with a fresh, wildcrafted appetizer! This recipe for mushrooms and wild herbs salsa is very adaptable, giving you freedom to use ingredients you find in your own environment. The following is an excerpt from Wildcrafted Vinegars by Pascal Baudar. It has been adapted for the web. RECIPE: Mushrooms & Wild Herbs…

Read More
permanent beds

Permanent Beds: Designing An Efficient Garden

Permanent beds are going to change your gardening game. This type of garden bed helps improve soil health, ensures crop growth, and is extremely easy to design! The following is an excerpt from The Living Soil Handbook by Jesse Frost. It has been adapted for the web. Designing Permanent Beds The term permanent beds is…

Read More